Yesterday, I came up with the idea of creating gift baskets for people in our family and our friends for Christmas. I would like to give gifts that are not something that get thrown into the closet. For example, this past Christmas we got my brother-in-law a refill pack of blades and a stand for his Headblade that we bought him the previous year. I had no idea that in the few weeks before Christmas he had decided that he was not going to be a bald man any longer.

I came up with a few ideas. It was fairly easy because I have been contemplating the ever-popular gift-in-a-jar idea. I see these gifts in stores and they appeal to me. I am very fond of presents that are either very small and pricey (Jewelry, Victoria’s Secret) or consumable (Godiva, The Body Shop customized gift basket).

So, I was trying to think of something really personal and cool to make for the ladies. I came up with the idea of making baskets up with sort of a theme to them. My personal favorite thing to do is sit in a hot bath with candles and smelly good stuff and read while sipping on flavored coffee or cocoa. So I thought that a relaxing bath would be a good theme.

Each basket will contain a decorated jar of bath salts with a little scoop attached with ribbon, a decorated jar of either cocoa or an herbal tea blend with a recipe and a measuring spoon attached, a scented candle coordinating with the fragrance of the salts, one huge pretty mug and saucer, coordinating decorative soaps, a small book, and possibly a bath sachet (like a tea bag of herbs for the bath) depending on my ability to find the materials to make them. I am also debating making a cake-in-a-jar to add to it, but I haven’t decided yet. It will be kind of like a “picnic basket” for one.

For the children, I have come up with a gift that will have to be sent well in advance and opened on Christmas Eve morning. It will contain a jar of sugar cookie mix with a recipe and assorted cookie cutters attached to it with ribbon. An envelope containing “sparkly magic dust that you sprinkle on top of the cookies you bake for Santa, and make your Christmas wishes with” (colored sugar) and an attached poem that I will have to make up when I think of a good name for it. Also, a decorated container of “Reindeer food” with an attached poem for how it works, some soap crayons (I am going to try to incorporate a silly poem or story or something into that about having to be squeaky clean and wash behind your ears or else you might just get a lump of coal in your stocking), a small book with a Christmas theme, and several “candies” that I am going to make (gift wrapped cardboard tubes filled with various Christmas candy that are shaped like huge wrapped candies).

As for the men, I don’t have a clue. I had thought of the idea of going with a New Year’s Eve theme because it comes up right after Christmas. The only thing I could think of was various little bottles of liquor (and I could print out various mixed drink recipes to go with) and a shot glass along with some party mixes of nuts and snack food, a mix-in-a-jar for some party dip type things. Most of the men I know drink. They drink a lot! There are usually various parties going on and this would seem to be a good idea. I could even incorporate a Super Bowl theme into it if I got really creative because that comes up in January. Right? I am just not married to it because of the cost of the bottles of liquor. Besides, it may be a really stupid idea. I just don’t know.

I thought that this would be a good project to get the little people involved in. How thrilling it would be to them to get to actually help make soap crayons, reindeer food, and cocoa mix! Plus, they could help me decorate the jars and that sort of thing. It’s just an idea.

Posted by gwendolyn on April 13, 2001 at 01:25 PM